Ending homelessness together: annual report to the Scottish Parliament, November 2024

Progress against actions to prioritise settled homes for all

13. Take forward work on the right to adequate housing

14. Complete the delivery of 110,000 affordable homes

15. Encourage the housing sector to bring more empty homes back into use and support local authorities to develop their empty homes services and private rented sector access schemes

16. Reduce the use of temporary accommodation

17. [Updated] Roll out housing first in Scotland and consider the role of supported housing

18. Develop best practice examples of choice in settled housing and assess impacts of providing wide range of housing options in local areas

• The Scottish Government had originally intended to introduce a human rights bill in this parliamentary session. After careful reflection, we have decided to use the remainder of the session to develop and strengthen the bill with the intention of taking forward legislation in the next parliamentary session. The bill is intended to bring an enhanced focus to the implementation of social and economic rights, including the right to adequate housing.^[2]
• The latest quarterly affordable housing supply programme statistics were published in September 2024 and show that by June 2024, 22,743 homes have been delivered towards the 110,000 affordable homes target, of which 17,289 (76 per cent) are homes for social rent.
• The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) supports the Scottish Government with its ambitions to bring empty homes back into use. In its latest impact report, the SEHP reported that 1,875 properties were brought back to use in 2023-24, the highest annual figure to date. This brings the total number brought back into use since the partnership was formed to 10,889.
• The Scottish Government has passed legislation to allow local authorities to charge up to double council tax rates in 2024-25 and future years. Most councils are using the powers, and we continue to work with them on implementation and on setting the premium on second homes.
• Most Scottish local authorities operate rent deposit guarantee schemes to facilitate access to the private rented sector (PRS) for homeless households. Crisis maintains a database of schemes that help people overcome barriers to accessing accommodation in the PRS.
• Our homelessness statistics 2023-24 show that, compared to last year, the number of households in temporary accommodation (16,330) increased by 9 per cent and the number of children in temporary accommodation (10,110) increased by 5 per cent. We are determined to reverse this trend and have been implementing the recommendations of the expert group that was asked to consider how we can reduce the numbers of households staying lengthy periods in temporary accommodation.
• In 2023-24, we invested over £83 million to help local authorities and registered social landlords acquire homes to bring into affordable use, with almost 1,500 affordable homes delivered.
• Building on the success of this programme, we announced a further £80 million over two years for acquisitions in April 2024 and additional resource of £2 million to help them deploy the capital effectively. We have decided to target our interventions so that we can reduce the number of children in temporary accommodation. In 2024-25, we are using a weighted funding model so that the five authorities with sustained temporary accommodation pressures will get the largest share of the new funding.
• We have established an advisory group to help us to review the current legislation on compulsory purchase orders and we will consult in 2025 on proposals to modernise the compulsory purchase system.
• We are working with the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO) to develop a guide on flipping tenancies^[3] to help local authorities and registered social landlords make the best use of existing homes.
• We are working with utility providers to address delays in reconnecting energy supplies to reduce the turnaround time for empty social homes.
• Overall, social landlords allocated 44 per cent of homes to homeless households in 2023-24 (up from 41 per cent in 2022-23).
  • Local authorities maintained the proportion of lets to homeless households at 49 per cent.
  • Registered social landlords increased the proportion of lets to homeless households to 39 per cent (up from 35 per cent of all lets in 2022-23).
• Our homelessness statistics 2023-24 show that, of the 27,560 unintentionally homeless cases that closed in 2023-24, 83 per cent (22,748) secured settled accommodation.
• Since 2018-19, the Scottish Government has allocated £62.5 million to local authorities to assist them with implementation of their rapid rehousing transition plans, which include housing first programmes.
• Homeless Network Scotland published its latest Housing First Annual Check-Up in March 2024, which noted a rise in children living in housing first households, showing the potential for housing first to reunite families.
• The Scottish Government’s latest housing first monitoring report estimated that, by 31 March 2024, 1,820 people with the hardest experiences of homelessness had received keys to settled homes, and that 89 per cent of people were still in their housing first tenancies 12 months after entry.
• The supported housing task and finish group published its final report on the future role of supported accommodation in July 2024. The Scottish Government will consider the recommendations and respond in due course.
• The Scottish Government believes the private rented sector can play an important role in meeting housing need and ending homelessness. Our Housing (Scotland) Bill includes rented sector reforms that aim to improve affordability and strengthen tenants’ rights.
• Our new homelessness prevention legislation aims to give people at risk of homelessness more choice and control over their housing outcomes.